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Sunday, February 02, 2014

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...the Groundhog Day Edition!

...Early last week I revisited Joel McCrea and Yvonne DeCarlo in BORDER RIVER (1954), which I first reviewed in 2011. This was the first time I saw TCM's Joel McCrea Westerns Collection DVD, and the color print was absolutely gorgeous. Highest praise.

...Deepest thanks to Elisabeth of The Second Sentence for answering my query and sending me a YouTube link to the 1959 TV production of MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. The cast: Jane Powell, Jeanne Crain, Patty Duke, Walter Pidgeon, Myrna Loy, Tab Hunter, and Ed Wynn. This was the last screen role for Kelly Brown, who plays Lon; he was Carl, one of the "town" dancers in SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, and he was also in Powell's THE GIRL MOST LIKELY (1958). I expect to watch it soon! Thanks to my friend Mel for additional help in that regard. :)

...Last summer I enjoyed SNOWED UNDER (1936), a country house farce with a cast including George Brent, Genevieve Tobin, and Glenda Farrell. Over at Immortal Ephemera Cliff has a great post on the movie including lots of background research on the source material.

...I very much enjoyed Jacqueline's post on KISMET (1955) at Another Old Movie Blog. My experience seeing this film last year at the TCM Classic Film Festival changed my perspective on the film for the better, and it more than deserves the detailed look it receives from Jacqueline.

...Will just saw JUPITER'S DARLING (1955) and pays tribute to Esther Williams, the "Wonder Woman of the 1950s," at Cinematically Insane.

...The latest wave of releases from Fox Cinema Archives includes a pair of Jeanne Crain films, one of which is the charming HOME IN INDIANA (1944), which I reviewed in 2009.

...I really enjoyed Kevin's look at LADY IN THE IRON MASK (1952), starring Louis Hayward and Patricia Medina, at Kevin's Movie Corner. He also has some nice background information on Hayward's career.

...Rumor has it that Amazon will be raising the cost of Amazon Prime, which provides two-day shipping as well as free streaming.

...Lou Lumenick reviewed THE MONUMENTS MEN (2014) for the New York Post, saying "It’s an often fascinating and suspenseful fact-based story, filmed on colorful locations with a great cast." It opens on Friday, February 7th.

...I frequently link to Colin's posts at Riding the High Country, as he writes well about movies I find especially interesting, and the ensuing discussions are always informative as well. His latest is on Anthony Mann's THE BLACK BOOK (1949), also known as REIGN OF TERROR, which I was privileged to see with Norman Lloyd in attendance at the 2012 Noir City Film Festival. I'm a bit surprised it's not part of the current Anthony Mann Festival at UCLA.

...So cute: Twitter and a kind woman reunite a little girl with her teddy bear, lost on a train headed for Kings Cross station in London.

...Attention Southern Californians: UCLA is hosting a free 35mm screening of one of my favorite movies, THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD (1938), on Sunday, February 23rd. It's part of the monthly "Family Flicks" series.

The Stars In The Corps book Kevin refers to has errors throughout and not just in the Louis Hayward entry. In that one, they do not get his name right, so clearly, there was limited, if any aaccess to USMC records. His name was Louis Charles Hayward. I'll not get into Seafield Grant, which was a place, not an alternate. As for Lady In The Iron Mask, both brevity and black and white, a friend of mine supplied that print, but there is now a more-or-less full length color version, dubbed in German that is being married to the first release. Something nearly good should be done. As for Man In The Iron Mask being a medium budget swashbuckler, nothing could be further from the truth. This was big time picture that opened at Radio City. Son of Monte Cristo also had a big New York opening but his post war adventure films did not, with the exception of And Then There Were None. Strange Woman and Ruthless. are not adventure films. WAlter Wanger was in prison at the time Lady/Mask was being shot. It was a prison farm and Louis, Ralph Murphy and others met with him after each days shooting. The film stands as a curiosity but it was not a success and Louis Hayward appeared in no further costume films, although a few years later he did a television pilot called The Highwayman, with Adrienne Corri and Richard O'Sullivan in England. It did not sell.

I took Laura's prompting to view the feature on Louis Hayward on Kevin's blog and found it very interesting. I have always enjoyed a number of Hayward's films but knew little about him personally. Kevin's report of his wartime service and the toll it took on him personally was both fascinating and quite moving. Thanks to both of you!

No one returns from a war without being affected. The depiction of Louis is largely incorrect. He was nervous, he was on edge and he did have malaria. As I stated earlier, the source material is inadequate across the board. Louis returned to Hollywood and spent his time at Warners editing the material that eventually became With The Marines At Tarawa. The comparison between a young man in his twenties versus a mature combat hardened individual approaching forty doesn't make any sense. Have a look at any of the film people before and after service and my meaning will come clear.